


Desert Rose

by coldcutcalamity



Category: LeviHan - Fandom, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2018-01-15 07:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1297216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldcutcalamity/pseuds/coldcutcalamity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Hanji faces the downside of stress and Levi being the sweet little furball... in his own way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Desert Rose

“I don’t understand you.”

He crossed his arms, a habit that he adopted whenever he was feeling agitated or displeased with something.

“What don’t you understand, Levi?”

Hanji responded as she continued to fuss over the paper in hand. Her growing impatience was evident from the tightness in her voice.

“So I’m supposed to accompany you on this trip beyond the walls just to find some shitty flower?”

“It’s called a ‘desert rose’,” she reminded him again. “And it’s not shitty.”

Levi released a sigh of frustration, still not getting where this conversation was going. Sure, he should have gotten used to her bizarre impulses by now but that does not mean he approved of every single one of them. And right now was a good example.

“And how is this supposed to help humanity?”

He saw the slight pause in her movements. Years of working alongside her have made him completely accustomed to her every quirk and behavior that would have mostly gone unnoticed to the untrained eye.

“I heard it has poisonous capabilities,” she exclaimed. “Might prove useful for this experiment I am working on.”

Levi raised an eyebrow in question, still dissatisfied with her reasoning.

“Please.”

The word was simple, but it had the effect it needed.

* * *

 

“You didn’t tell me this was going to be an unauthorized operation,” Levi hissed at the woman beside him as he inspected his surroundings. “Erwin didn’t give you clearance?”

“Let’s just say what he doesn’t know won’t kill him.”

He paused mid-track and turned to face her, considering the nonchalant attitude.

“What about those on stable or guard duty?”

“Levi, you worry too much,” she snickered. “Besides, I might have slipped in something during dinner. That’s the reason why I requested for senior officers and those off-duty to be served from different jugs.”

They were now inside the stables, moving quietly so as not to startle the horses.

“You scare me sometimes, woman.”

He gave her a sidelong glance before commenting.

Once their horses were saddled, Hanji led them towards a crevice found in an old abandoned passageway. The thickness of foliage surrounding the area suggests that its existence has long been forgotten and not many had traversed this way.

“How did you find out about this place?”

He took in the surroundings, partly in awe and the other, in concern that this could be a potential opening for a titan breach.

“I like to do a little adventuring on my own on nights where I can’t seem to fall asleep.”

She winked at him playfully and they rode on with Hanji leading the way. It was a cold night and Levi was glad that he had decided to keep his uniform jacket on. He could not say the same for Hanji though. She was dressed in her yellow blouse with its sleeves rolled up to her elbow. However, she was not showing any signs of discomfort with the weather. In fact, her expression seemed a little calmer once they were outside the walls.

“You didn’t have to come up with excuses if you wanted to get out for a while.”

Hanji remained silent and he took this opportunity to press further.

“There’s no desert rose, is there?”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I don’t think I could last one more moment behind those stifling walls.”

They rode on in silence for most of the journey before they eventually stopped at a clearing near the river. The horses needed rest and so did they. A titan attack had occurred at this very same location a few days ago. Many lives were lost that day, including their comrades from the academy days. Death was nothing new to the scouting legion, but memories still lingered.

“It’s so peaceful here…” she whispered to no one in particular.

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

“They say death is like that too,” she wondered aloud. “An eternal slumber.”

Hanji sat down on the grass as her eyes gazed into the distance, fully immersed in her thoughts. Levi took the spot beside her and they remained in a companionable silence.

A significant amount of time passed before Levi finally spoke.

“Another name for the desert rose is the _Adenium obesum,”_ he began. “Its sap contains toxic cardiac glycosides and it is often used as arrow poison in some cultures.”

“Well whaddya know. Someone’s a smarty pants all along.” Hanji laughed.

“I like to do a little reading of my own on nights where I can’t seem to fall asleep.”

Hanji gave him a playful nudge, acknowledging the teasing jab at her earlier statement.

“But you know what the interesting thing about that shitty flower is?”

He absent-mindedly picked at the grass near his feet, before flicking them in random directions as they scattered in the breeze.

“And what might that be, O Enlightened Heichou?”

“It thrives on a xeric watering regime,” he muttered. “This means that it is able to withstand the harshest of conditions where water supply is scarce.”

“Too bad it doesn’t exist,” she sighed. “I would love to see one and study its survival mechanism.”

“What are you talking about, shitty glasses.” He scoffed. “It does exist. I’ve seen it myself.”

“Don’t be silly,” she snorted, ready to get into a debate. “They’re only found in tropical and sub-tropical climates.”

“I’m telling you, it exists.”

His voice maintained its calm tone, not once losing its cool demeanor.

“Where?!”

“Right here.”

He placed his hand in the tangle of her messy ponytail and positioned her face right before his. He fixed his gaze directly onto hers, witnessing her expression change from mild confusion to one of understanding. Once a grin spread across her face, he let go of his grip.

“Levi…,” her voice carried a playful lilt. “Were you trying to be sweet?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous.”

“You were, weren’t you? Aww!”

She gave him a bear hug, which he desperately tried to pry himself away from.

“Let go of me this instant, shitty glasses.”

“Alright, alright.”

When it was time to go back, Levi noticed that a grin was permanently plastered on his partner’s face, which only made him shook his head in resignation. But for what it’s worth, he got to see that shitty smile of hers again.

**Author's Note:**

> This was the product of a sleepless night and too much caffeine in my system.  
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
